STATEMENT OF THE FRIENDS OF THE CHINESE AMERICAN MUSEUM
Los Angeles, CA (October 13, 2022) – The Chinese American Museum release statement below today:
“The Friends of the Chinese American Museum strongly condemn the racism expressed by Los Angeles City Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin De Leon and Gilbert Cedillo. We hold our leaders, especially our elected officeholders, to the highest standards of conduct – in public, and especially in private. The announcement of Martinez’s resignation is a good first step towards healing the City. We now call for the immediate resignations of Councilmembers De Leon and Cedillo.
The Chinese American Museum is located at El Pueblo Historical Monument, the birthplace of Los Angeles. The museum is dedicated to exposing historic racism and combating discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance facing us today. We are committed to unifying and uplifting the Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and Asian American communities of Los Angeles through our educational programs and artistic exhibitions.
Our community has seen the devastating and damaging impact when racist and derogatory language is used against any ethnic group. We entrusted our elected officials to ensure equal protection and access to resources to all people in their districts, regardless of their color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Councilmembers Martinez, De Leon and Cedillo have failed in that basic duty and cannot be trusted.
We denounce these Councilmembers and their conduct and join the chorus of community leaders and organizations in calling for the immediate resignations of Councilmembers De Leon and Cedillo from the Los Angeles City Council.”
